Sewing machine needle guard



Dec. 22, 1936. v M. B. sKLAR 2,055,031

SEWING MACHINE NEEDLE-GUARD A Filed June 4, 193e Patented Dec. 22, 1936UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE SEWING MACHINE NEEDLE GUARD Maxwell B.Sklar, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application June 4, 1936, Serial No. 83,433

2 Claims. (Cl. 112-261) One object of this invention is the provision ofan improvement in sewing machines, more particularly a guard for theneedle of the machine to prevent accidental contact of the n- Y gers ofan operator with the descending needle.

The guard also serves other purposes, among which may be mentioned thatit prevents the cloth being operated upon, especially linings, fromturning over on top of the presser bar foot and thus getting caught inthe foot.

Another object of the invention is the provision of such a guard havingits front portion hingedly mounted on the extremity of the presser barfoot, so that it may be readily rotated into position where free accessto the needle may be had for the purpose of threading the needle andother purposes.

A still further object is the provision of means for releasably lockingthe forward section of the guard in either upright or extended position.

The above and other objects will become apparent in the descriptionbelow, in which characters of reference refer to like-named parts in theaccompanying drawing.

Referring briefly to the drawing, Figure 1 is a side view of a portionof a sewing machine, illustrating the application of the guard thereto.

Figure 2 is a front view of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a rear view of Figure l.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional View taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3,with a fragment of cloth shown in the machine.

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of a modified form of guide, and thepresser bar foot on which it is mounted.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the modified form, taken on theline 6-6 of Figure 7.

Figure '7 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 'I-I of Figure 6.

vReferring in detail to the drawing, the numeral I indicates the lowerend of the sewing machine head from which the presser bar I I descends,and also the needle bar I2 in which the needle I3 is secured. Thepresser bar II is provided with a yoke I4 at its lower end in which theslotted upper end I of the foot I6 is adjustably mounted by means of athumb screw I'I. The foot I6 comprises the upright arm I8 and thehorizontal forked base I9, the slotted-upper end I5 being joined to theupright arm I8 by the web 20. The base I9 is provided with a short prong2| and a long prong 22 separated by a slot 23. The guard 24 comprises aunitary member of thin or sheet metal having a. side wall 25 securedalong its edge 26 to the arm I8 and along its lower edge 21 to the baseI9. The guard 24 is secured to these members of the foot I6 bysoldering, welding, or in any other desired manner. The side wall 25 isprovided with a right-angled extension wall 28, integra-l therewith.This front wall 28 is provided at its end with an arcuate tongue 29. Asubstantially oval opening 30 is cut out of the front wall 28 andextends through a portion of the arcuate tongue 29. A vertical line 3|is drawn at the base of the oval opening 30 directly in line with theneedle I3, when viewed from the front. This line is provided bypainting, etching, or in any other desirable manner, and serves toindicate to the operator the position of the lower tip of the needle I3,since the latter descends below the base of the opening 30. The cloth 32lies below the base I9 of the foot I6. When the operator guides thecloth through the machine, his fingers approach close to the foot I6,and the guard 24 shields his n- 20 gers from accidental contact with thedescending needle in a manner which is obvious.

In the modified form shown in Figures 5, 6, and '7, the presser bar footI6 is the same as that shown in the previously described gures. Theguard 33 is formed of two sections 34 and 35. The section 34 is securedto the arm I8 and the base I9 in the same manner as the entire guard 24is secured in the previously described gures. The section 35 is providedwith a side wall 36 having its lower edge 31 formed of the same contouras the upper edge 38 of the section 34 so that they complement eachother when the section 35 is in raised or upright position, as shown inFigure 6, and thus form a continuous side wall for the guard. The baseI9 is similarly provided with a short prong 2| and a long prong 22. Thelatter, however, has on its ends a pair of ears 39 in which a pin orshaft 40 is rigidly held, The section 35 of the guard 33 has its sidewall 36 provided with a front extension wall 4I substantially similar tothe front wall 28 of the guard 24. The front wall 4I is also providedwith a substantially oval opening 30 and an upper arcuate tongue 29. Thelower extremity of the front wall 2| is rolled loosely about the pin 40in the form of a sleeve 42. The upper surface of the sleeve 42 (Figure6) is attened to provide a flat edge 43, and at right angles thereto asimilarly flattened surface 41 is provided. A spring 44 is secured atits rear end 45 to the top of the base I9 by soldering, welding, or inany other desirable manner, near the side walls of the guard. Its outerend 46 extends over the sleeve 42.

When the guard section 35 is in upright position 55 with its side wallclosed, the tip 46 of the spring 44 lies flush against the flat edge 43of the sleeves 42 and thus serves to releasably lock the section inupright position. To rotate the latter into the position shown in brokenlines in Figure 6, the tongue 29 is pushed forward and when the section35 is swung outward through an arc of approximately degrees, the flatsurface 41 of the sleeve 42 will lie flat under the spring end 46 andthus the guard section `35 will be releas ably locked in its extended oropen position. In the latter position, the guard permits completeobservation of the lower end of the needle I3 and;v .Y

Obviously, modifications in form and structure may be made withoutdepartingvfrom the'spiritv and scope of the invention.

I claim:

Y l. In combination with a sewing machine presser bar foot having avertical arm and a base at right angles to said arm, a wall secured tothe sides of said arm and base, a member comprising a side wall and afront wall at right angles thereto having its front Wall hingedlysecured on the outer extremity of said base, said front wall beingadapted to be rotated into substantially Vertical position, said sidewalls coming into contact with each other when said Wall is in verticalVp0- sition to provide a closed side Wallfformed of saidtw'o side walls,said front wall when rotated outwardly from said vertical positionremoving its side wall from contact with said iirst named wall andgiving access to the upper surface of said base from said side, saidfront wall having a cut out opening therein, and means for releasablylocking said front wall in either of said two positions.

2. In combination with a sewing machine presser bar foot having avertical arm and a base at' right angles to said arm, a wall secured tothe sides of said arm and base, a member comprising a side wall and a,front wallr at right-angles thereto having its front wall hin'gedlysecured on the outer extremity of said base, said front wall beingadapted to be rotated into substantially vertical position, said sidewalls coming into contact l withv each other when said wall is invertical po- ,g sition to provide a closed side wall formed of said twosidewalls, said front wall when rotated outwardly fromfsaidlverticalposition removing its side Wall from contact with said iirst-named walland lgiving access to the upper surface of said base; said front wallhavingl an opening therein, means for' locking said front wall in eitherof said' two positions, said means comprising a pin on the end of saidbase, a sleeve on the lower end of said front wall surrounding said pin,said sleeve having a pair of at surfaces substantially at right anglesto eachother, a springnger'secured at one end of saidbase and having itsother end projecting over .said sleeve, said other end of said springlying flush against one of said flatv edges whenM said fron-t' Wall isin upright position. and against the other of saidat edges when thefront wall is in extended'position. f

' MAXWELL B. SKLAR.`

